a Japanese sword specialist, and 6

6. With all the knowledge, tools and sources Japanese swordsmiths have these days, how and where are they different from the swordsmiths back in the old days ? You often hear people say that back in the good old days, their skills were much better than the modern swordsmiths. If that statement is indeed true, why the old swordsmiths are still outperforming the modern one’s?
This depends on what you deem to be “outperforming.” Modern swordsmiths are very confident that they are making blades that are just as functional and as beautiful as ancient blades. Some modern smiths are even making blades that are being mistaken for Ko-Bizen school works. Personally, when it comes to modern smiths I think that we live in exciting times. In Japan, all of the top polishers judge and view all of the entries to the annual sword making competitions, and are just as impressed with a great shinsakuto (newly made sword) as they are with a great Koto blade. The snobbery of Koto blades being superior to shinsaku/gendai blades is gradually dissipating.
One of the main arguments is that swords have not really been employed since the end of the Koto period, so swords made since then have never really been put to the test. However, this point of view must be kept in perspective. Swords were never really the primary weapon. They were used as a last resort for close combat, self-defense, or duels. There have always been more efficient weapons for fighting the enemy at a greater distance: bows, yari, naginata and the later introduction of the gun. This is why so many great examples of Japanese swords have survived in tremendous condition. We must also consider the differing east/west perspective on swords too. To the Japanese, the sword is not merely a weapon, it is an intrinsically beautiful sacred object, with many preserved because of their presentation to shrines.
However, at the same time, swordsmiths are very proud artisans and have 100% confidence in the functionality of their work. In my DVD Art of the Japanese Sword, I interviewed several swordsmiths including Mukansa swordsmith Kawachi Kunihira. He stated that as he began making swords just after the war, his swords had never been tested in battle, so he was worried that they would not be effective. However, his teacher, Living National Treasure Miyairi Shohei who had made swords during the WWII said, “I know my swords cut well. Follow my methods with no mistakes, and your swords will be effective too.” Additionally, in Japan they still test blades on TV from time to time, cutting armor, shooting them with 50 mm full metal jacket rounds, cutting steel sheets, and they still do as what they are supposed to: not bend, not break, and cut well.

From an aesthetic perspective, as I mentioned earlier, many smiths are researching jigane and are beginning to be able reproduce characteristics from what is commonly referred to as the golden age of swordmaking; the Kamakura period. Many smiths test their skills or fulfill the wishes of their customers by making utsushi-mono (facsimile) of famous blades or national treasure blades. However, when smiths are aiming at the workmanship a particular school, this is not to say that they are hoping to emulate the work of specific smith, but to encapsulate the characteristics of that school and incorporate them with their own style and character. For example, the smiths Nagamitsu, Sanenaga, and Sanemitsu all worked contemporarily within the Osafune school, but they all retained their individuality. This is the same for today’s smiths. They want to achieve results similar to that of bygone eras, but still want their work to be recognizable according to their personal characteristics.